Project Sierra/SPECWEP
S.A.P's, or SPARTAN Assault Platforms, were highly experimental prototype small arms utilising much more powerful munitions than standard conventional military small arms currently in service. They were designed and created at ONI SHADOW Base, the head of ONI Section III's Technology and Weapons // Research and Development sub-division and were designed explicitly for use by SPARTAN Commando's operating in MJOLNIR armour systems. With the increasing amount of field reports concerning rounds and cartridges such as the MA5 Series Assault Rifle's 7.62x51mm NATO round being ineffective against shielded and moderate-to-heavily armoured combatants, Shadow Base, a sub-division of ONI Section III, began limited experimentation and production of both Assault Rifle's and Designated Marksman Rifle's chambered to fire much more powerful munitions. After extensive conceptualisation, experimentation and relatively limited field testing, the S.A.P Program was created. Overview The S.A.P Program was an experimental prototype program commissioned in October of 2551 by ONI Section III in SHADOW Base. It was designed to outfit active SPARTAN Commando's with devastatingly powerful small arms that take full advantage of both a SPARTAN and MJOLNIR's capabilities. The objectives of the S.A.P Program were simple, concise and clear; * Equip SPARTAN's with 50.caliber small arms, increasing their combat effectiveness. * Significantly reduce kill times on shielded and armoured targets. * Create weapons systems that can utilise currently fielded and easy to obtain munitions. * Take full advantage of SPARTAN's & MJOLNIR's abilities in terms of accuracy, precision, recoil mitigation and reflexes. The outcome of the S.A.P Program produced 2 vastly different weapons systems, suitable for a wide range of battlefield applications. MA37-50 Mk.0 The MA37-50 Mk.0 was the official designation given to a modified MA37 Assault Rifle that was chambered to fire the 12.7x40mm M225 SAP-HE 50.caliber round normally used in the M6 Series of standard issue handguns. The reason for this choice of round is down to its proven high effectiveness in penetrating armoured targets, high damage against shielded opponents and its High-Explosive nature, making it somewhat effective against vehicles and heavily armoured targets as well as being abundant and commonplace in armouries, battlefields and stockpiles alike. The purpose of the MA37-50 Mk.0 was to be an extremely powerful short to mid ranged, automatic capable assault weapon that can dish out heavy damage in close engagements. Due to the increased size and shape of the round, the magazine capacity for the MA37-50 Mk.0 sits at an even 24 rounds, 8 rounds less than its conventional counterpart. The bolt, trigger group, gas block and recoil spring of the MA37 all had to be replaced with much more sturdier and reinforced alternatives to deal with the increase in pressure from the increased caliber and through tuning and modifications the rate of fire is relatively unchanged. A match-grade heavy duty 1:19 twist polygonal rifled barrel was also fitted, with attachment points suitable for a variety of in-service suppressors. One of the many advantages of using the much larger, much more powerful M225 SAP-HE round is the increase in damage and accuracy, although it is recommended to stick to one to three round bursts for maximum effectiveness. As it was still in the prototype phase, there was very limited production of these S.A.P's and only 12 MA37-50 Mk.0's were ever made. The only recorded use of these weapons in real life combat scenarios is during Operation: ARK ANGEL, and they were lost along with Shadow Base and numerous other prototype equipment and technologies such as Armour Abilities during The Fall of Reach. They were fielded by every member of REAPER Team at some point during their engagements in Operation: ARK ANGEL to devastating effect. M392-50 Mod.1 The M392-50 Mod.1 was the official designation given to an extensively modified M932 Designated Marksman Rifle that was chambered to fire the M41 12.7x99mm AP round fired by a Warthog's M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun, or LAAG. Earlier iterations of the M392-50 Rifle, the Mod.0, had it fire the 12.7x40mm M225 SAP-HE round, but this was deemed insufficient for the program's objectives. The much larger, much more accurate 12.7x99mm 50.BMG and 12.7x99mm AP rounds were introduced in order to truly capitalise on a SPARTAN's immense strength and reflexes. The result was an incredibly high powered rifle, bridging the gap between marksman, anti-materiel gunner and sniper. Highly accurate, manoeuvrable and relatively compact, the M392-50 Mod.1 has had extensive modifications and refinements over the M392 base rifle. The trigger group, sears and recoil mechanisms have all been extensively modified to allow fully automatic fire under the new caliber. The magazine well has also been completely re-engineered, as have the magazines themselves, to chamber the massive 12.7x99mm round. Each magazine can be loaded with a total of 9 rounds so semi-automatic firing is highly recommended for ammunition conservation. A match-grade heavy duty tight bore 3/4 twist rifled barrel was fitted, along with a completely redesigned gas block and venting system to deal with the huge increase in caliber. As with the MA37-50 Mk.0's, production of these rifles were very limited with only 12 being produced as functional units during its prototype phase. Ammunition found in a Warthog's LAAG is the most common source of ammunition for the M392-50 Mod.1 outside of armouries or weapons caches, with one LAAG being able to offer hundreds of reloads. SPARTAN Commando's can use either the 50.BMG variety or the M41 AP variety for different purposes, although both are highly effective in general. The only recorded use of these weapons, as with the MA37-50 Mk.0, was during Operation: ARK ANGEL and they were fielded by the majority of REAPER Team for the duration of this operation. The M392-50 Mod.1 was very effective, being able to force through armour, strip shields, smatter light vehicles and down shielded foes such as the Elite Minor's with as little as 3 shots. Summary The S.A.P Program's true success is evident through Operation: ARK ANGEL's success, where they proved themselves to be devastatingly effective weapons in the hands of the SPARTAN-III's of REAPER Team. Due to the glassing of Reach, the S.A.P's along with a host of other experimental and prototype military hardware such as Armour Abilities were lost to the UNSC. The only use of the S.A.P's in real combat scenarios was during Operation: ARK ANGEL and the [Base#The Battle of SHADOW Base|Battle of SHADOW Base. Unfortunately, all copies and records of the S.A.P's production was lost along with Shadow Base during the Fall of Reach.